Injury scare for Stanford women in victory

Updated 11:49 pm, Saturday, March 22, 2014

Chiney Ogwumike (13) scored 23 points, below her average of 26.8 but enough to ease past Candice Wiggins as Stanford's career scoring leader.

Chiney Ogwumike (13) scored 23 points, below her average of 26.8 but enough to ease past Candice Wiggins as Stanford's career scoring leader.

Photo: Nati Harnik, Associated Press

Injury scare for Stanford women in victory

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Ames, Iowa --

Stanford received a scare Saturday but not on the scoreboard.

Chiney Ogwumike hit the first basket of the game to become the Cardinal's and Pac-12's career scoring leader, and Stanford overcame a slow start and a potentially damaging injury to Mikaela Ruef to beat South Dakota 81-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Hilton Coliseum.

Ruef, a 6-foot-3 senior who averages 6.8 points and 9.5 rebounds (second on the team), hit her head going for a steal in the first half and did not return.

Stanford, which has played in the Final Four in five of the past six years, trailed 13-12 but responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead for good.

South Dakota (19-14) made six of its first seven shots but shot 38 percent the rest of the game.

Bonnie Samuelson's three-pointer gave Stanford a 14-point lead with 5:33 left in the first half. The Coyotes, champions of the Summit League, were never closer than 10 thereafter. Samuelson made six three-pointers and finished with 18 points.

"We know Chiney is going to get triple- and double-(teamed) every game," Samuelson said. "We need to help relieve some of that pressure by hitting outside shots. I just try to catch and shoot and hope it goes in, and tonight it did."

Ogwumike became Stanford's career scoring leader moments into the game. She began the night tied with Wiggins with 2,629 points; Wiggins texted the Stanford senior before the game, encouraging her to get one more point. So did Ogwumike's sister Nneka, who is third on the list.

"She said as long as it's an Ogwumike in the record books it doesn't matter which one," Chiney Ogwumike said.

South Dakota coach Amy Williams could only shake her head when talking about the Stanford All-American, who averages 26.8 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

"They had a player get 23 and 8, and I actually thought we did a pretty good job against her," Williams said.

Nicole Seekamp led South Dakota with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting but had little help with her teammates finishing 15-of-42.

Greenfield, who grew up 8 miles south of Ames in Huxley, had six points and four assists.

Stanford, now 72-25 in NCAA Tournament games, had eight turnovers and outrebounded the Coyotes 41-30.

Stanford scoring

Chiney Ogwumike scored 23 points Saturday to move into first place on Stanford's career scoring list and ranks first in field goal percentage at 59.1.

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